Tapping Hitler's Generals

CRAMER: But if you talk to an Englishman he doesn’t quite come out into the open. I still believe that the FÜHRER honestly made proposals to the English, perhaps not quite far-reaching enough but–[13]

CRÜWELL: Well that’s a question of laying the blame.

CRAMER: In my opinion there is only one possibility: we should guarantee the British Empire.

CRÜWELL: I can’t imagine that the fortress of EUROPE will be overrun, I don’t believe it. At any rate, if they were to try it it would be an extremely difficult job.

CRAMER: Yes, in my opinion, we have only one chance, and that is: in contrast to the Great War… the air force. If they were to form a bridgehead in SALONIKA it probably wouldn’t matter much as we could probably hold them there or even throw them out again. But we can’t hold the RAF and the RAF will attack RUMANIA and smash everything there to bits, and then we should lose the oil.

CRÜWELL: The English and American show in NORTH AFRICA was badly muddled.

CRAMER: Yes, with their overwhelming equipment, but their tactics were very bad.

CRÜWELL: But do you think, disregarding the possibility of an offensive, that the Russians–

CRAMER: We can hold that. But then comes the time, with the arrival of winter when the Russians will start again.

CRÜWELL: I believe, however, if we wee to say that we would do nothing this summer, except straighten the line… and build everything up and make everything ready, then they certainly wouldn’t get through in the winter. For, if one looks back, their greatest successes have always been there where no preparations had been made.

CRAMER: Yes. Their successes were merely because of their numbers… infantry and tanks… But I’m afraid that the FÜHRER will do something… somewhere.

CRÜWELL: What is our position regarding personnel?

CRAMER: Not too bad. The Operations Staff Officer of the 10th Panzer Division… he had this… whole manpower business,[14] he said: ‘It’s not too bad.’ …They seem to be getting more men again now, but we can’t live on that for ever. Ever since the CAUCASUS affair went badly for us, TURKEY has completely turned against us.[15] Damnation, we must…

CRÜWELL: If we lose, then it’s all up.

CRAMER: Completely finished. A short time ago I was in ITALY[16]–these completely unreliable Italians… but they are having a great many difficulties over the BALKANS.

CRÜWELL: What is the position in YUGOSLAVIA?

CRAMER: There is still trouble in CROATIA and we are always having a lot of trouble with the guerrillas there.[17]

CRÜWELL: If you listen to the English radio, they make up a terrific story.

CRAMER: Yes, but it’s not as bad as that. We had about one to two divisions, well, let us say three divisions on a war footing…[18]

CRÜWELL: What’s your opinion of the CHANNEL coast?

CRAMER: Perfect. They won’t get in there.

CRÜWELL: All I can say is that if they land in SALONIKA, even if they have a bridgehead–

CRAMER: Yes, they’ll land at… because we haven’t got anything there.

CRÜWELL: Yes, but surely we must be in a position to send anything there.

CRAMER: We’ve got nothing, literally nothing. We’ve got as many (troops) as possible in the West and some behind the Eastern Front and that’s all we’ve got… and the remainder(?) are in ITALY. We’ve still got very good divisions and we’re getting tanks now too including the new ‘Panthers’.[19] […]

CRÜWELL: Is the FÜHRER still really all right?

CRAMER: Yes, yes!

CRÜWELL: His speech especially on Heroes day–his voice sounded very–not at all so–[20]

CRAMER: Yes, but he is a man, who succeeds through his own pertinacity, who believes in his own mission, indeed he has to. Unfortunately he has somewhat… amongst the people… because he always makes the mistake of appearing only as the FÜHRER, as the great military leader–perhaps it is just tactlessness. If we are perfectly honest and judge it from the purely military point of view… things have gone badly ever since he took command.

CRÜWELL: Yes, we’ve learnt our lesson!

CRAMER: Yes.

CRÜWELL: But one doesn’t know, the cause of it–but I am–there’s so much time to brood over things.

CRAMER: Yes, yes!

CRÜWELL: Perhaps it was, because HALDER[21] and BRAUCHITSCH[22] couldn’t get on with him properly, or was it possibly because the Russians put up a greater resistance against us than we had expected?

CRAMER: Then there’s RIBBENTROP[23] with his politics.

CRÜWELL: In my opinion we had to decide either to carry on to the end with the BRÜNING system or to make a second war inevitable.

CRAMER: Yes, but I have the feelings, that… a bit less grasping.

CRÜWELL: …the Eastern campaign may last for another ten years!

CRAMER: Yes.

Document 9

CSDIC (UK), SR REPORT, SRGG 126 [TNA, WO 208/4165]

FRIEDRICH FREIHERR VON BROICH–General-major (G.O.C. 10th Panzer Division)–Captured 12 May 43 in Tunisia.

DR CARIUS–Hauptmann (ADC to M180[24])–Captured 11 May 43 in Tunisia.

BOCK–Leutnant (ADC to BROICH)–Captured 12 May 43 in Tunisia.

Information received: 11 June 43